Stars at the Golden Globes took along activists as guests – to shine a spotlight on issues of gender and racial justice instead of fashion – on the red carpet.
Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Susan Sarandon, Emma Watson, Laura Dern and Michelle Williams, who wore black, were among the actresses who were accompanied by advocates in a “show of support for victims of sexual harassment and assault”.
They attended as part of the Time’s Up initiative, launched to end sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace.
The activists released a statement saying that they were attending to help “shift the focus back to survivors and on systemic, lasting solutions”, adding: “We believe we are nearing a tipping point in transforming the culture of violence in the countries where we live and work.”
They added: “This past year was a powerful one in the fight for gender equity and against sexual violence against women… There is still much work to do, and many hands required to do it.
“We want to encourage all women – from those who live in the shadows to those who live in the spotlight, from all walks of life, and across generations – to continue to step forward and know that they will be supported when they do.”
Tarana Burke, guest of Michelle Williams
A gender and racial justice advocate, Burke founded the “me too” movement in 2006 to raise awareness of sexual abuse and assault, with the phrase taking off in 2017 in response to the Hollywood sexual assault scandal.
Marai Larasi, guest of Emma Watson
Larasi is the executive director of Imkaan (UK), a black-feminist organisation working to end violence against black and minority ethnic (BME) women and girls. She is also co-chair of the End Violence Against Women Coalition.
Rosa Clemente, guest of Susan Sarandon
Clemente is an organiser, political commentator and journalist. She is a leading scholar on issues of Afro-Latinx identity. She ran for vice-president of the US in 2008 on the Green Party ticket.
Ai-jen Poo, guest of Meryl Streep
The activist is the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign and has been working with immigrant women workers for over two decades.
Monica Ramirez, guest of Laura Dern
As the co-founder of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, a farmworker women’s organisation in the US, Ramirez works with farmworker, Latina and immigrant women as an attorney, organiser and advocate.
Calina Lawrence, guest of Shailene Woodley
Lawrence campaigns to end racial injustice, police brutality, mass-incarceration, gentrification, violence against women and children, misrepresentation of Native Americans in education and mainstream media, climate injustice and other causes.
Saru Jayaraman, guest of Amy Poehler
Jayaraman co-founded Restaurant Opportunities Centres (ROC) in New York after 9/11, together with displaced World Trade Centre workers, organising those who work in restaurants to win workplace justice campaigns.
Billie Jean King, guest of Emma Stone
Tennis legend Billie Jean King, the US former world number one, is also the founder of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative and the co-founder of World TeamTennis. She founded the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Women’s Tennis Association. Stone plays the tennis star in the film Battle Of The Sexes, for which she was nominated for a gong.
